The invention relates to a protector that is used in association with a surfboard, or other water sport board, or snowboard. The primary purpose of the tail protector is to protect a surfer, or other sport enthusiast, from injury when struck by the edge of the tail section of the surfboard. The tail protector will also protect the tail section of the surfboard from damage when it is impacted against a hard surface.
The tail is one of the thinnest sections of the conventional surfboard and is frequently damaged during use and when transported. Conventional surfboards are constructed with polyurethane foam that is then shaped and glassed with fiberglass cloth impregnated with polyester resin. This construction provides a very hard, but brittle, surface that can crack and shatter when struck against hard objects. The hard, thin rear edge of the tail of a surfboard can injure swimmers who collide with the tail of the board. By functioning as a shock absorbing bumper, the tail protector according to the invention reduces damage to the board and to individuals.
While other sections of surfboards, or snowboards, have been provided with soft surfaces for user safety, or board protection, in the past (see, for example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,792,316, 4,955,314, 5,174,220, 5,273,472, and 6,012,734, the disclosures of all of which are hereby incorporated by reference herein), protecting water sport enthusiasts against impact from the tail section of the board has not heretofore been practiced.
The tail protector does not interfere with the performance of the surfboard in the water. The performance of the surfboard is determined in large part by the flow of water along the bottom surface of the board. The flow of water along the bottom surface of the board should be uninterrupted and free of turbulence. To promote laminar and turbulent free flow, the bottom surface should be smooth, free of protrusions and sharp corners. Such protrusions, corners and other interruptions on the bottom surface can disrupt the flow of water under that surface and create drag that slows the surfboard and otherwise impairs its performance. Accordingly, the tail protector should not create a protrusion on the bottom surface of the surfboard that would interrupt the flow of water under the board.
The tail protector must be thick enough to provide a bumper shield the tail of the surfboard without creating a sharp bump on the bottom of the board. A thick tail protector formed of a deformable material, such as silicon rubber, protects the tail of the surfboard. If the tail protector is too thin, then it will not provide sufficient protection for the tail of the surfboard.
A thick tail protector can create a bump on the underside of the surfboard if the protector extends to the bottom surface of the board. The tail protector does not extend to the bottom of the board. The tail protector wraps around the tail of the surfboard without extending to the bottom surface of the board. In particular, the tail protector has a bottom edge that is aligned with a curved section of the board that is between the edge (rail) and the bottom surface of the board. Because the tail protector does not extend to the bottom surface of the board, it does not disrupt the flow of water underneath the board.
The tail protector is a thick strip of deformable material, such as silicon rubber that wraps around the tail of the surfboard. The cross section of the protector that generally has a comma shape, which is thin and short towards the bottom half of the protector and thick and extend at the top half of the protector. The protector also has rounded and V-shaped cutouts that allow the protector to fold around the side edges of the tail of the surfboard and conform to the rounded shape of the tail. The tail protector has an upper edge that extends above the tail and towards the upper surface of the board. The tail protector can extend onto the upper surface of the board without interfering with the performance of the board. The inside surface of the tail protector adheres to the surfboard by means of an adhesive, e.g., a glue. A glue may be applied to the inside surface of the tail protector to provide the adhesion necessary to hold the protector to the tail of the surfboard.